The present invention relates to pressure protection valves. It finds particular application in conjunction with pressure control valves used with an air dryer system and will be described with particular reference thereto. It will be appreciated, however, that the invention is also amenable to other applications.
Air dryer systems use multiple pressure control valves, which are also referred to as pressure protection valves, to distribute air to primary, secondary, and auxiliary circuits of an air braked vehicle. The current design of pressure protection valves make it is very difficult, if not impossible, to service the pressure protection valves in the field. Therefore, in some instances, rather than merely servicing/replacing a defective pressure protection valve in a device (e.g., an air dryer) that is otherwise operating properly, the entire device must be replaced.
Furthermore, in situations where it is possible to merely replace a defective pressure protection valve in a device that is otherwise operating properly, issues arise with regard to the settings of the replacement pressure protection valve. More specifically, a person replacing the pressure protection valve may intentionally or unintentionally adjust an opening pressure setting that would cause the replacement pressure protection valve to function differently than the original pressure protection valve.
Also, current devices incorporating pressure protection valves are made from a material (e.g., an aluminum extrusion) that provides an adequate surface finish required for proper operation of the pressure protection valves. The materials typically used for providing such a surface finish are relatively expensive.
The present invention provides a new and improved apparatus and method which addresses the above-referenced problems.